Smart sleep tech brand Eight Sleep just launched a new feature called Hot Flash Mode, aimed at helping women manage night sweats and temperature spikes caused by menopause. As part of the company’s broader Women’s Sleep Initiative, this is the first smart sleep solution we’ve seen that directly targets menopausal symptoms. Here’s a breakdown of how it works and what the research says.
What is hot flash mode?
Hot Flash Mode is a setting on Eight Sleep that aims to deliver targeted, fast cooling when a hot flash strikes. Press the button on the side of the cover (or via the app) and the water-based cooling system will drop your side of the bed temperature quickly. After a set duration (you can choose between 5 to 30 minutes), the mattress will gradually return to your baseline sleep temperature.
Eight Sleep says this was a solution built directly from user feedback. Women reported that while the Pod’s baseline Autopilot cooling helped reduce overall hot flash frequency, they still needed a fast-response option when symptoms hit hard.
What the research shows
Eight Sleep analyzed data from over 1,200 menopausal users, who logged more than 13,800 cooling and rewarming events to understand how intense or long cooling needed to be. Then they ran a two-week study with 16 participants using the mode approximately six times per week.
Here’s what they found:
- 78% of participants said Hot Flash Mode felt more effective than any other solution they’d tried.
- 80% felt relief within just 10 minutes of activation.
- Hot flashes dropped by 55% on average, from 13 to 5 incidents per week.
- 92% of users experienced fewer hot flash events overall.
- Sleep comfort improved by roughly 19%, and subjective menopause symptoms by 15%.
While you should keep in mid this study was done by Eight Sleep, it is still a great sign that the new mode could be very effective.
Why Hot Flash Mode matters for sleep quality
Hot flashes at night aren’t just uncomfortable: they’re disruptive. They can spike your core temperature, trigger awakenings, and send you spiraling into shallow sleep or full wakefulness. Even one flash can cause poor sleep for the rest of the night.
Hot Flash Mode could help by intercepting that spike, delivering additional cooling while you sleep, even if you’re only half awake. And because it returns to baseline gradually, it doesn’t risk overcooling you once the flash subsides.
For many women, that could be the difference between lying awake in discomfort versus drifting back to sleep within minutes.
Beyond hot flashes: Eight Sleep’s Women’s Sleep Initiative
Hot Flash Mode is just the opening move in what Eight Sleep calls their Women’s Sleep Initiative: a multi-year effort led by female-focused clinical research and product development.
The initiative aims to address sleep issues tied to:
- Menopause
- Menstrual cycle hormone shifts
- Pregnancy
- Disorders like PCOS
It includes plans for large scale, female-specific research and future adaptive temperature features based on reproductive phases or hormonal changes.
Our final take
Hot Flash Mode seems like a smart, data backed tool built with real women’s needs in mind. It’s not going to solve every menopausal symptom. But if you’re dealing with sleepless nights because of heat waves, or just want a better way to calm your body temperature, this is a great feature for Eight Sleep worth trying.
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